Calling Down Fire
Read Luke 9:51-56.
Have you ever wanted to call down fire from heaven on someone? Come on, be honest.
What about that person that is driving slowly in front of you, making you both crazy and late to work at the same time? What about that person who went over your head at work and caused you a lot of trouble and sleepless nights? What about that person who threatened you, your livelihood or your family?
What about that person you just don't like? Never have, never will? What about them?
That's sort of where the disciples are in the Gospel of Luke. The animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans was well-known. "Animosity" is probably not strong enough a word. Hatred. Loathing. They despised one another. Many Jews, going from Jerusalem to Galilee, would travel a long way out of their way just to avoid touching Samaritan soil.
The crazy thing is—they were related! Samaritans were "half-breed" Jews. They were the descendants of the Hebrews who had been left behind when much of the nation of Israel was taken into exile, and they had intermarried with other people groups. They worshipped one God (see John 4:20), but in the eyes of the Jews, they were impure. They had broken God's prohibitions against intermarriage. And because of the superior attitude of the current leaders of Israel, the Samaritans responded in kind. That's why they won't let Jesus and the disciples enter their villages: because they are headed to Jerusalem.
The disciples are incensed and that's when they ask Jesus to let them call down fire on the Samaritans. (Almost like they think Jesus won't do it, but they're not above doing it.) They are angry because they have been turned away, rejected—they're angry because the Samaritans have done the same thing to them that they, as a race, have been doing to the Samaritans. Ironic, right? And that is, I believe, part of why Jesus rebukes them. He came to save Samaritans, too (something the disciples can't imagine). He came to save Gentiles, Samaritans, Jews, pagans, Romans, rich and poor, young and old—everyone. Because everyone is a child of God—loved and wanted back.
That's still true today, by the way. That person driving slow in front of you—child of God. That person who threatens you—child of God. You? Child of God. And God wants all of his children back. Instead of calling down fire, maybe we need to focus on calling down love, grace, mercy and the hope of repentance.
Calling down those things just might change the tune. And a different tune might change the world.
Have you ever wanted to call down fire from heaven on someone? Come on, be honest.
What about that person that is driving slowly in front of you, making you both crazy and late to work at the same time? What about that person who went over your head at work and caused you a lot of trouble and sleepless nights? What about that person who threatened you, your livelihood or your family?
What about that person you just don't like? Never have, never will? What about them?
That's sort of where the disciples are in the Gospel of Luke. The animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans was well-known. "Animosity" is probably not strong enough a word. Hatred. Loathing. They despised one another. Many Jews, going from Jerusalem to Galilee, would travel a long way out of their way just to avoid touching Samaritan soil.
The crazy thing is—they were related! Samaritans were "half-breed" Jews. They were the descendants of the Hebrews who had been left behind when much of the nation of Israel was taken into exile, and they had intermarried with other people groups. They worshipped one God (see John 4:20), but in the eyes of the Jews, they were impure. They had broken God's prohibitions against intermarriage. And because of the superior attitude of the current leaders of Israel, the Samaritans responded in kind. That's why they won't let Jesus and the disciples enter their villages: because they are headed to Jerusalem.
The disciples are incensed and that's when they ask Jesus to let them call down fire on the Samaritans. (Almost like they think Jesus won't do it, but they're not above doing it.) They are angry because they have been turned away, rejected—they're angry because the Samaritans have done the same thing to them that they, as a race, have been doing to the Samaritans. Ironic, right? And that is, I believe, part of why Jesus rebukes them. He came to save Samaritans, too (something the disciples can't imagine). He came to save Gentiles, Samaritans, Jews, pagans, Romans, rich and poor, young and old—everyone. Because everyone is a child of God—loved and wanted back.
That's still true today, by the way. That person driving slow in front of you—child of God. That person who threatens you—child of God. You? Child of God. And God wants all of his children back. Instead of calling down fire, maybe we need to focus on calling down love, grace, mercy and the hope of repentance.
Calling down those things just might change the tune. And a different tune might change the world.
AMEN!!!
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